2021 The Five Star Focus

More documents

Recommendations

Info

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING Students are provided innovative social-emotional programming and practices across all schools. Discovering their potential Alternative education opens new doors for students Photo Credits: Priestley Parker 20 THE FIVE STAR FOCUS 2021-2022
Vantage Point High School 2020-21 Discovery Cohort C students KNOW EVERY STUDENT BY NAME, STRENGTH AND NEED. Our staff lives out this ELEVATE goal in how they support our students’ social-emotional well-being. Nowhere is this more evident than at Vantage Point High School; a school of choice which provides an alternative education option for many. It’s a small school filled with huge hearts. Before students can even enroll in academic classes at Vantage Point, they must first experience the school’s 9-week Discovery Program where they learn and master the positive social skills necessary to be successful in school and in life such as emotional intelligence, goal setting, conflict resolution and problem solving. Priestley Parker joined the Vantage Point family in 2001 as a counselor and started teaching Discovery 12 years ago. “The first two or three days they’re a little skeptical about it wondering if this program really means anything,” Priestley said. “By the end of the program they feel changed. They feel confident in themselves, that they can handle life’s difficulties better than they were able to when they started.” Vantage Point student Nayeli Castrejon recently finished the Discovery Program. “This program deserves the most recognition because it really does change you for the best,” Nayeli said. “For me personally, it helped me become more social. I grew friendships with people I never would have talked to. We all started out not talking to anyone except the friends some of us had, and by the end we all were just one family.” And that family proves critical to the students’ growth and success. Many students face hardships, whether it be socio-economic, family related or trauma such as the loss of loved ones. Priestley remembers a student who experienced the loss of three friends and wasn’t doing well at school and at home. “We do a lot of group work; we do a lot of getting to know your classmates and learning about their lives,” Priestley said. “And through that, he had other classmates who had lost friends as well. He was able to make connections not only with them but with the entire class. It helped him “Hey you know that I believe in you. Yes we’re going to work hard. Yes you have to go through a lot. But yes you can make it and you can be successful.” realize, ‘Hey you know what, I went through these things with losing my friends but I can still be successful.’” The student is still at Vantage Point and thriving. “His mom thanks us over and over again,” Priestley said. “She said you created such great change in him. What we say is he’s the one who made the change. Yes, we gave him the avenue, or the vehicle to make that change, but he’s the one who ultimately decided that he was going to make the change and do better in his life.” And while Priestley works most closely with students when they first join the Vantage Point family, he also has the opportunity to celebrate the end of their journey - graduation. In May 2021, he had the honor of being the commencement speaker at Vantage Point’s graduation ceremony. “I love working with students that other people may have given up on or maybe they’ve given up on themselves,” Priestley said. “To be able to be one of many staff members at Vantage Point to have a chance to inspire them and to let them know, ‘Hey you know that I believe in you. Yes we’re going to work hard. Yes you have to go through a lot. But yes you can make it and you can be successful.’” 2020 CLASS OF BY THE NUMBERS 3 15-24 3,400 Highest-ever graduation rate at district alternative schools Alternative schools within the district Students per class in our alternative schools Students have gone through the Discovery Program 21 ADAMS 12 FIVE STAR SCHOOLS
Page 1 and 2: THE INAUGURAL EDITION 2021-2022 The
Page 3 and 4: 2021-2022 Table of contents BOARD O
Page 5 and 6: DELANIE DAVEY Five Star Graduate
Page 7 and 8: IN ADAMS 12 FIVE STAR SCHOOLS, WE E
Page 9 and 10: Lucas Gilbreath with family at Rock
Page 11 and 12: ROB BUSTER Custodian, Westview Elem
Page 13 and 14: DURING A YEAR THAT CHALLENGED US AL
Page 15 and 16: BY THE TIME SHE EARNED HER NORTHGLE
Page 17 and 18: “His leadership and resiliency sk
Page 19 and 20: The Expansion The completion of the
Page 21: ANY DISCUSSION OF SCHOOL SAFETY can
Page 25 and 26: IN THE FIVE STAR DISTRICT, our staf
Page 27 and 28: THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF THE FIVE S
Page 29 and 30: Installation of our own district fi
Page 31 and 32: 7 10 8 11 9 12 LEFT PAGE: (1) Thund
Page 33 and 34: School Directory 1 Arapahoe Ridge E
Page 35 and 36: You’re doing great things! Tell u

2021 The Five Star Focus

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?